incubator ideas! post your ideas for home made incubators, whether they work or not~

[kellyn]

Those teeny steyrafoam incubators are too flimsy and touchy(they suck). I suggest finding something better that would be worth the time, money and parts you are inveating into it. Either way... I wish you the best of luck, newbies.

 

[Debs55]

Hey guys I'm building a incubator out of 3/4 inch plywood. It is 3 foot long, 18 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Anyway, I was wondering where I should drill my vent holes and how big they should be. I figured I should drill 2 or 2 behind the fan so it can pull fresh air. Also I plan to have 2 light bulbs with only one attached to the thermostat. The fan will be closest to that one. Would I need another fan for the other light bulb or just make sure the fan is blowing towards it? Keep in mind it cod be 2 feet away from it

 

[Debs55]

Oops double post

 

[Bantam Chase]

Hey guys I'm building a incubator out of 3/4 inch plywood. It is 3 foot long, 18 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Anyway, I was wondering where I should drill my vent holes and how big they should be. I figured I should drill 2 or 2 behind the fan so it can pull fresh air. Also I plan to have 2 light bulbs with only one attached to the thermostat. The fan will be closest to that one. Would I need another fan for the other light bulb or just make sure the fan is blowing towards it? Keep in mind it cod be 2 feet away from it

One of the best things about a home made 'bator is that you get to tweak it so it works perfectly for you. My cooler bator is about 2sq feet and has one pc fan and two 40 watt bulbs. I've checked the temperature at various locations throughout and it is consistent... so just turn it on and see what happens! With the size of your incubator you may want two fans if you can, but the more air flow the harder it will be to maintain humidity. My hillbilly bators have 4 vent holes in the top and 6 or 8 along the bottom, about 2" up. Is that enough? Too much? could it be better? who knows, but it works well for me.
Anytime you build a incubator, your first few hatches should be regular backyard eggs, nothing special or expensive. That will give you the time to adjust. I'd love to see pictures of your incubator!

 

[Debs55]

Thank you. I would put pics up but right now it is literally just a box. Planning on putting everything in tonight and tomorrow. First eggs to go in it will be a mix of my own and some from a trade with another BYCer

**update
I worked on it tonight

Got both lights in and will hopefully get the doors on tomorrow and the fan installed

 

[quintinp]

Thank you. I would put pics up but right now it is literally just a box. Planning on putting everything in tonight and tomorrow. First eggs to go in it will be a mix of my own and some from a trade with another BYCer

**update
I worked on it tonight

Got both lights in and will hopefully get the doors on tomorrow and the fan installed

I am working on an incubator similar to this, I will be sure to post pictures when it is done. I will try to get it built in the next few weeks, because I am having to wait on another incubator to be done with it's hatch, and then gut it and use it "guts" in the incubator I'm working on.

 

[Debs55]

Glad ill have someone to compare notes with
I put the doors on last night. They're alittle crooked but I think it will work

 

[quintinp]

Glad ill have someone to compare notes with
I put the doors on last night. They're alittle crooked but I think it will work

Very nice, you probably want to seal the wood, another BYC'er didn't seal the wood in their incubator, and mold started growing IN THEIR INCUBATOR!!! I am going to use regular polyurethane sealer for wood. I don't want any type of stain, just a clear coat to water-proof the wood on the inside.

 

[num1hogfan]

Here is my incubator.

$1.50 for cooler. I don't have any vent holes. Where should I place those and how big?

my manual egg turner. The handle is outside that I pull back and forth to rotate the eggs.

Here is my heat source. I have the HW thermostat drilled out for sensitivity, 75watt bulb and a heat sink fan. It doesn't cycle very fast like I thought it would. Temps seem to hold around 100 by the thermometer at the bottom. The hydrometer seems to fluctuate by a few degrees. The fan doesn't blow very hard either. total cost HW thermo-$8, Hydro-$8, light socket $2. Fan free.

I will have a couple of tubes at the bottom to fill two small trays for humidity. Any other ideas on how to keep the humidity up or lower it if it gets to high?
I'm getting my chicks eggs this weekend. I hope all goes well.

 

[junkprospector]

Wow! There is a ton of great info on this thread. I've been drawing up some plans for an incubator.. I got a motor for the turner mechanism from a rotisserie cooker. I'm wondering if I can use the heat element from this also? Any thoughts?